Copyright was developed in the age of the printing press, and was designed to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers, while suppressing public access to technology. But if we seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of copyright to promote progress, for the benefit of the public then we must make changes in the other direction
A working days worth of lectures around the tensions between copyright and community - http://cubicgarden.com/copyright
As ususal Cory Doctorow manages to make intellectual property law not only relevant and devastating, but also super-fun. He's excited and involved and it shows. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoy the copyfight. The one problem: atrocious framing. There should be a test you have to pass before being allowed to use a video camera where you are NOT allowed to put the subject's head in the center of the frame...